Migrants to cities and towns in Namibia: What their interests are?

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Abstract

This study suggests an investigation on the problem of urbanisation and shack dwelling in Namibia. A case of the City of Windhoek has been used. Findings in most literature led to unemployment as a major cause of urbanisation in Namibia. This study has probed the migrants’ (men and women) interest in urban life. The research question is: Do the rural-urban migrants feel like citizens of the city or town? The study pursues the main objective of investigating the relationship between personal interests and housing demands of rural-urban migrants in the City of Windhoek. It was hypothesised that immigrants to the City of Windhoek feel like transient residents rather than citizens, and as a consequence take no responsibility for their surroundings including buying formal houses. These phenomena could be the causes of various social problems such as shack-dwelling, crime and insanitation in Namibia’s urban areas.